


dancing

by laughlovelashton



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Fluff, M/M, Slow Dancing, Songfic, christy and jessie are mentioned but they aren't married to randl, i was listening to too much luke bryan and this happened, still in nc though, they meet as adults
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-18 09:59:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13097703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laughlovelashton/pseuds/laughlovelashton
Summary: sometimes all it takes is a song to fall in love





	dancing

**Author's Note:**

> i listened to play it again by luke bryan for the first time in a long time and all i could imagine was alternate universe randl meeting for the first time and falling in love as they dance to some sappy country song. hope you enjoy!

Parties aren't as fun as they used to be.

Don't get him wrong, Rhett definitely enjoys having a few beers and catching up with friends every once in a while. Sometimes it's nice to just shoot the breeze with folks, complaining about his boring engineering job and joking about how he should have moved out to California when he had the chance. People seem to like his sense of humor and his unique way of storytelling, and parties are just a chance to entertain. He likes to joke about how he'd make a job out of it if he could, 'Just sit in front of a camera and talk, ya know?'. People who don't know him will ask on occasion why he didn't. 'Well,' he'll say. 'Seems kinda boring, just one. Maybe if I'd had someone with me.' And that's that.

This party is just like all the others.

People are gathered in small groups, either standing or sitting in lawn chairs. Trucks are parked in a lopsided semi-circle, many with the tailgate down and one playing country music through its speakers; just loud enough to be heard over the various conversations but not loud enough to be annoying. Coolers full of beer and bottles of water are interspersed throughout the grass, sweating water in the warm August evening. In the middle of it all is a roaring bonfire. No one gets too close, the heat proving to be too much in the already warm night. However, it wouldn't be a party without one, so they keep it going.

Rhett has a beer in his hand as he mingles, talking to his friends and introducing himself to the faces he doesn't recognize. As he scans the field, his eyes land on a new arrival.

"Gregg!" he exclaims, clapping his old college roommate on the back. "How're you doing, man?"

"I'm alright, getting along as well as I can, I s'pose. Think my days of wild parties and a different lady every week are over though." The two men chuckle.

"I'm in the same boat." Rhett says, scratching the back of his neck and taking a swig of lukewarm beer. "I don't get out much anymore, honestly. Things are pretty slow on the romance front as well." Gregg raises his eyebrows at the admission.

"Really? You could pull just about any girl you wanted back in college. Some guys too, probably." Rhett snorts at that.

"Yeah, well. I can't say I haven't tried, Jessie even set me up on Tinder and everything. Just haven't found the right person I guess." He runs a finger around the mouth of his beer bottle. Gregg nudges him.

"Honestly I thought you'd marry her. Y'all spent so much time together, I just thought it was only a matter of time." Rhett would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it. Jessie was his best friend, and he really did love her. He just couldn't see himself ever being _in_ love with her. He liked their relationship just the way it was, telling each other everything and always knowing they had someone to go to for relationship advice. In fact, she was the first one he told when he figured out he was bisexual. She had been extremely supportive, doing her best to help him find someone. Even after she married and started a family of her own, she still persisted as Rhett's wing-woman. 

"Nah, we never saw each other that way, it woulda been too weird." he sighs. "Although, if she wasn't already spoken for, I might do it anyway. I'm closer to forty than thirty, Gregg, and I'm still single. Maybe I should just let it go." A burst of laughter from one of the trucks catches the attention of the two men, and Gregg grins.

"Maybe not, big man. Lemme introduce you to someone." Rhett rolls his eyes a little, but lets Gregg lead him over to the truck. A shorter blond woman is leaning against the tailgate, laughing with a dark-haired man. Rhett's eyes are immediately drawn to the man as he laughs. It's more of a high-pitched giggle; not very manly, but Rhett finds it endearing. Suddenly, sparkling blue eyes are looking into his, framed by large square glasses.

"Rhett, let me introduce my lovely friend Christy," the blond woman smiles and shakes his hand. "And this," he says, gesturing to the man next to her and adopting a hilariously fake British accent. "Mr. Charles Lincoln Neal III." Christy and Gregg laugh as the man rolls his eyes with a scoff.

"Don't listen to him, you can just call me Link." Rhett grasps the brunet's smaller hand in his, and flushes a bit when Link flashes a wild smile at him.

 _'Shit.'_ he thinks. _'I've known him for less than two minutes and I'm already smitten.'_

"Nice to finally meet the infamous Rhett McLaughlin." Link says, smiling slyly and looking through his lashes up at Rhett.

"Gregg's told us a lot about you." Christy chimes in, taking a sip of water and winking at the tall man. Rhett rolls his eyes.

"Dammit, Gregg! You've ruined my reputation with these people before I even had the chance to pretend to be cool and charming!" They laugh together, and Rhett finds his eyes drawn to Link again. He laughs unabashedly, throwing his head back as sounds like tinkling bells fall from his lips. Rhett is in _trouble_.

As their laughter peters out, Christy stands up straight, stretching her arms above her head and letting a yawn escape.

"Aw, man am I getting to old for this." She looks back up at Rhett. "I'm sorry to cut this meeting short, but I think it's about time for Gregg to take me home. My bed is calling my name."  She turns to Link. "You coming with?" Link hesitates, glancing at Rhett and back to the blond in front of him. Before he can get a word in, Rhett's mouth is opening without his permission.

"You can catch a ride with me, if you're looking to stay a little longer." He blushes when he realized what he's offered to this man he hardly knows. "I-I mean, only if you want to, that is." Link grins, the tip of his tongue poking out between his teeth.

"That sounds nice. Thanks, Rhett." The four exchange goodbyes, and soon enough, Christy and Gregg have made their way to his truck and driven off into the night. Rhett hops up on truck bed next to Link. As the two re-position, Rhett finds his leg pressed up against Link's. The other man doesn't complain though, and Rhett finds the warmth against his thigh pleasant, so he leaves it be.

"So, how long have you known Gregg? I don't remember him ever mentioning you." Rhett asks, turning towards Link and taking another sip of his beer. Link turns as well, thigh rubbing up against Rhett's and sending chills up the taller man's spine.

"We were friends through middle and high school. I went off to college in California though, so we kinda lost touch. When I came back, we reconnected and he introduced me to Christy. Since then they've become my closest friends." he chuckles to himself. "They keep me sane when my job gets the best of me."

"What do you do?" Rhett asks. Link sighs.

"I'm an industrial engineer. Exciting, I know." he says sarcastically. Rhett grins at him.

"I totally understand, I'm in civil engineering." Link meets his eyes and smiles as well.

"Glad to know I'm not that only one who regrets their career choice." They laugh. As Link turns to grab his own bottle of beer, a light bulb goes off in Rhett's head.

"Wait a minute, did you say California? Gregg did tell me about a friend of his, Charles, that went out there to study film. Was that you?" The smile on Link's face changes from giddy to slightly regretful.

"Yeah, that was me. Not many people called me Link back then, that's probably why you didn't know." He looks away from Rhett and starts picking at the peeling label on his beer. "I wanted to entertain people, not necessarily in movies or anything, but maybe host a t.v. show, or make videos myself and create something that people wanted to watch because it was different. But, when I got there, I realized that it was kind of- boring, I guess, being by myself. Maybe I just wasn't cut out for it. Anyway, I decided to change my major to something 'useful'," Rhett chuckles as Link puts air quotes around the word. "And now I'm back here, stuck in a job that I never really wanted in the first place." The two lapse into silence. After a minute, Rhett tentatively reaches out and puts his hand on Link's knee.

“If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only one stuck somewhere you don’t want to be. Sometimes life puts us in these positions to prepare us for something better.” Link looks up into his eyes, blushing a little as he takes in Rhett’s sincere gaze. Something shifts in the air, the mood changing in a subtle way that both men are acutely aware of. Just as Rhett finds himself beginning to lean in, the song coming through the speakers of a nearby truck changes. An old Merle Haggard song is playing, and Link gasps.

”I _love_  this song!” He grabs the hand Rhett’s still got on his knee and jumps off the truck bed, pulling Rhett with him.

”Dance with me, stranger.” Rhett is caught off guard, but Link’s soft smile and childlike excitement put him quickly at ease. He smiles back, pulling Link closer and wrapping an arm around the shorter man’s waist. Link’s arm finds a comfortable spot on Rhett’s shoulder as the begin to sway slowly to the music.

”You’re a wonderful dancer.” Link says after a minute. Rhett chuckles, suddenly twirling Link around and dipping him. Link squeals in surprise, then begins to laugh as he clings to Rhett.

”I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, darlin’.” He replies. When he pulls Link upright again, he’s suprised and pleased to see a slight blush on the brunet’s cheeks. They sway together a little while longer, then stop as the song fades out. They spend a moment just gazing into each other’s eyes, smiles on there faces and hearts fluttering with the promise of new beginnings. 

“You wanna get outta here?” Rhett asks, head nodding towards his own truck on the other side of the slowly dying fire. Link nods, and as Rhett turns, he suddenly feels two full lips press softly to his cheek. He turns back to the other man in surprise, smiling at the slightly bashful look on Link’s face.

”You deserved a little something for being such a good dance partner.” He says, winking at Rhett before slipping away from the flabbergasted blond and making his way to the car. 

If that was the reward he’d get for dancing with Link, he’d do anything to play that song again.

 

*

 

When Rhett pulls into Link’s driveway a half-hour later, he’s wracking his mind desperately for a reason to spend more time with him. They had continued to get to know each other on the ride back, and Rhett knows that he’s quickly developing strong feelings for the younger man. As they sit in the idling vehicle, Rhett finds himself fiddling with the tuner on the radio, hoping that the universe is on his side.

”What are you doing, bo?” Rhett smiles at the term of endearment, blushing simultaneously as he considers his reasoning for channel surfing. How can he tell Link that’s he’s frantically searching for the song that they had slowdanced to less than an hour ago without scaring him off? Suddenly, he hears the familiar opening notes of ‘My Favorite Memory’ flood through the car. Rhett turns to Link with a satisfied smile as the brunet stares in pleasant surprise at the stereo. The taller man opens his door, stepping out of the car and making his way over to passenger side. He opens the door, bowing towards Link and extending a hand to him. 

“May I have this dance?” He asks, wiggling his eyebrows. Link laughs a little incredulously, but doesn’t hesitate to take Rhett’s hand and slide out of the truck.

”You plan this, McLaughlin?” Rhett pulls him close, swaying in time with the song.

”Guess I’m just lucky, sweetheart.” Link shakes his head as he laughs softly, stepping closer to rest his head on Rhett’s chest. The song plays on as two slowly turn, illuminated by the truck’s headlights. As the song comes to a close, Rhett quietly sings along.

” _There's a million good daydreams to dream on, but baby, you are my favorite memory of all_.” The music fades into another quiet country song that neither of them know, but the two men are far too wrapped up in each other to even notice. Link pulls back a little so he can look up into Rhett’s face. Overwhelmed by the fondness found in the brunet’s clear blue eyes, Rhett closes his own and gently rests his forehead against Link’s. 

“Is it too early to say I’m falling for you?” He whispers. 

Link only kisses him in response.

 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated :) 
> 
> if you want to say hey on tumblr, i’m @broadway-dprl 
> 
> #bymb


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